Mystery of Saromen Fro

Syrena moves with urgency but maintains her stealth as best as possible.

She can hear the noise and can see blurry silhouettes of a skirmish ahead, but in the darkness the details are hidden until she can close in.

Stumbling to keep footing and maintain mobility, the stalker commits and crashes headlong into Gundus. The sudden and violent rush is surprising, and sends Gundus backpedaling several steps.

Xenophon closes in quickly to support though, not letting the target capitalize on the admittedly effective maneuver.

The assailant is not quite surrounded, but is forced back on the trail - downhill. Xenophon, Gundus, and Gennadius stand online and press forward in an inverted wedge formation, blocking side exits. They guard the uphill route entirely, the distant fortifications now to their backs.

The lone defendant stands defiant, backing downhill slowly and carefully - outnumbered but at the ready for a clash, defending with a mighty battle axe that gleams in the moonlight!

The plan in motion, Damanandros should be coming up from behind - to catch the hapless stalker unaware in a web of magic...

"Keep your voice down, you blowhard!", the defendant hisses - a shouting whisper with a tone of angry frustration.

The voice gives Gundus a first suspicion of it. Now the shadowy outline and way of movement perhaps ... Gundus believes that the armed defendant is a woman.

She retreats the downhill trail in controlled withdrawal, with the polished axe poised ready and a small shield at guard.

Syrena is closing in on the left woodline alongside the trail, well within range to shoot in daylight but still too far to decipher close detail in the darkness.

Closer. She sees an armed defendant retreating from the others - backing downhill on the trail at guard.

Closer. Syrena can tell it is a woman now. She remains unaware of Syrena's approach behind her.

Damanadros is quietly limping in closer all the while as well, though Syrena has passed him now in her brisk advance on the sideline.

Damanandros gives a brief whistle to signal to Xenophon that he is in position. He checks the distances and readies his spell, if the subject attempts to flee, he will cast sleep to immobilize her. He would rather hold onto the spell for a more dire need, but this could prevent the sentry from betraying their presence and she may be a source of information.

"Ha! Try to take my life at your peril!" the woman retorts, swiping a controlled swing of her axe to accent the threatening boast. Again her voice is severe, but disciplined to a lower volume.

"And I said - KEEP YOUR VOICES DOWN! If you want to shout, let us move downhill and you sound your bray there, donkeys!"

The darkness veils her face and finer features, but she stands ready in a blended armor set, wielding weapon and buckler. She is fit in physique, and a head-full of long hair spills around her shoulders. Her adroit movements suggest that she may be formidable, certainly no hapless villager brandishing a wood chopper.

Still, she looks tense at the prospect of being outnumbered and one false step away from being surrounded.

Revealed: previously a Note exclusive to RageRed...
As Syrena is targeting the woman on the trail, someone runs past from the forest and spanks Syrena on the bottom!

Startled, Syrena looks over to spot the swift spanker dash out onto the road. It is ... another woman? Fast as lightening, she is diving and tucking into a roll - towards Damanandros! [/note]

A few paces behind the retreating warrior woman, Xenophon and the assault team see nothing more than a quick dash of movement in the dark.

Damanadros sees someone charging him - now leaping - now tumbling in a roll past him!

There is a fluttering sound of a cloak swooshing. The next thing he knows, someone is behind and has grabbed a strong hold of his shoulder strap that goes across his chest. A quick snatch of it and he is shifted off balance to a stumble.

"Don't move, wobbly" a feminine voice says behind him, hugging in close, "... and tell your friends to BACK OFF!"

There is a slight delay on pace, then she adds "... or ... I'll SKEWER YE!"

Syrena sees now that a cloaked woman has leaped onto the trail and taken a cover position behind Damanadros.

Seeing her ally roll in to support, the warrior makes a hurried drop back to a close position nearby. She sets her stance - crouching, shield out, axe cocked back and high. "RAA!" she sounds out a threat, gritting her teeth with a snarl.

She whispers something back to her comrade. Only Damanandros is close enough to hear.

Revealed: previously a Note exclusive to Leo9sign...
"Draw your weapon!" whispers the warrior woman.

"Ahh!" answers the unseen acrobat behind him. He hears the slight sound of a blade being snatched from a holster.[/note]

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!" the smaller woman growls, in her smaller voice. She holds Damanandros's cross-body bag strap in one hand and brandishes a short thin sword in the other.

The two women stand back-to-back on the trail, weapons out, with Damanandros in between. But now surrounded...

Xenophon, Gundus, and Gennadius encircle them. Syrena still stands on the edgeline of the trail.

Armor Classes:
*Warrior: +5
*Acrobat: +3

Gennadius's whip snaps out and wraps the little acrobat's wrist.

Save vs. Paralysis

"OOOOUCCH!!" she laments as her weapon is snatched away from her.

She lets go of Damanadros and cradles her injured hand with her other. With a look of frustration, she glares at young Gennadius.

"STOP!" she commands at him in her girlish voice. "Can't we talk about this?! Ugh." She looks down at her wrist in worry, apparently losing focus on the standoff.